FEEDBACK FOR LORNA CHRISTIE

Lorna was admitted as a resident to Forest Lake Lodge on 6th December 2012.May 2012 Lorna was admitted to St Andrews Hospital Ipswich – she had paranoia, hallucinations, & was very depressed. She had to stay in hospital for 5 weeks while the doctors tried to stabilize her. The whole family witnessed her psychotic behaviour. Eventually she was prescribed a heavy dose of an anti psychotic drug & later released from hospital. The whole of 2012 Lorna lived with different family members. October 2012 Lorna was assessed by Ipswich ACAT. She was still depressed, non communicative, suspicious, lethargic, sullen and unhappy. After the ACAT report the family, who were at their wits end, began the search for a suitable Residential High Care facility.

December 6th 2012 Lorna was accepted at Forest Lake Lodge. From the beginning Clayton the Director of Nursing – commented on the high dosage of anti psychotic [medications]. After talking with Clayton we felt as a family that we had made a smart decision to enter mum into Forest Lake Lodge. On entry Lorna was depressed, sullen, quiet, confused & she did not initiate conversation. It was a[s] though she was lost in a thick fog & her posture reflected all of the above. December 20th 2012 Lorna had an appointment with an Aged Care Mental Health specialist and the dosage of anti psychotic drug was significantly reduced.

The family began to see a change for the better within a short time. Over the following months Lorna’s general demeanour improved significantly. She was more stable, referring to her room as her home. She slowly began to make new friends. Now, Lorna talks more, laughs more, her posture has improved, she is standing more upright. Thankfully the earlier the depression is no longer evident. Lorna is fortunate to have quite good mobility not requiring a cane or walker. She also brags about how much she can walk – she has a daily routine of walking circuits within the centre. She enjoys the morning exercises, the word games & bus outings. In short the fog has lifted and she has happily settled into life at Forest Lake Lodge.I need to mention [that] Lorna is legally blind with Macular Degeneration and only has some peripheral vision. This has hampered her ability to make friends easily as she can’t see people faces.

I am the eldest of four of Lorna’s children and every one of us has noticed how much our mother has changed & it is a huge change for the better. We feel blessed that we have our mother in a facility where she is happy and is taken care of. Everyone who sees mum has remarked on how much she has changed, how happy she appears to be – a huge change for the better. Mums still enjoys her weekly outing visiting her ex next door neighbour. Together they enjoy 4 hours of crosswords. Mum’s (94 year old) neighbour has the vision and mum has the brain – it’s a good combination.

Overall our mother is happier, she initiates conversation, her memory has improved. She laughs a lot & still beats some of us at maths. Her “spark” seems to have returned. That makes the whole family happy. (Lorna was dux of her high school, has always been smart, great at spelling, addicted to word games & crosswords and always very good at maths.